Multiple Grade 1 winner Don Poli heads off for 'long and happy retirement'

Former top staying chaser Don Poli, who won twice at the Cheltenham Festival during a career that yielded three Grade 1 victories, has been retired after failing to rediscover his old sparkle since moving to Britain.

All eight of Don Poli's victories came during his time with Willie Mullins, notably big-race strikes in 2015 in the RSA Chase and Lexus Chase under Bryan Cooper, while he also won the 2014 Martin Pipe under Mikey Fogarty.

Bidding for three consecutive victories at the Cheltenham Festival, Don Poli could manage only third in the 2016 Gold Cup behind winner Don Cossack.

Watch: Don Poli winning the 2015 RSA Chase

A popular performer who was cheekily nicknamed 'Don Slowly' in some quarters, Don Poli was switched to Gordon Elliott at the start of the 2016-17 season when Gigginstown House Stud split with Mullins following a row over training fees.

Later that season, he was ruled out of a return to the Gold Cup due to a last-minute setback and did not return to action until December the following year.

Bought for £170,000 by owner Darren Yates at the Goffs Aintree Sale two days before the 2019 Grand National, he completed the course in 19th on the first of only two starts for Phil Kirby.

Don Poli again moved yards, this time to Dan Skelton and on the trainer's advice was sent to Nick Pearce to go point-to-pointing, where he won twice at Alnwick.

Don Poli with connections after winning at Alnwick's point-to-point meetingCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Belatedly making his first start for Skelton this season, he put up a valiant display to finish fourth at Aintree before being pulled up at Haydock in November on what proved to be his final start at the age of 11.

Skelton said: "He's such a lovely horse and hopefully he gets a long and happy retirement. He ran really well at Aintree and then at Haydock, but Harry [Skelton] got off and said he didn't feel the fire was burning.

"He's been through enough in his life for us to give him the respect he deserves and we felt it was the right time to let him enjoy a different job and he's gone off to do some eventing."

Don Poli raced 26 times under rules, with his eight victories enabling him to amass more than £450,000 in prize-money.

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